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Been a wet spring and early summer so far. Usually June is our driest month, but we got quite a bit of rain. I spent a week fishing at Vallecito res (east of Durango) in late June and it was completely full and all the rivers running into it we still high and running lots of runoff. The first week if August I will be at Navaho Res fishing (SE of Durango) and I can let you know what things are like now. Later in the month I'll be doing a lot of scouting for my M/L elk hunt in the La Plata's (west of Durango). I'll keep you posted then too.

Colorado Cowboy
Cowboy Action Shooter; Endowment Life Member-NRA
The Original Rocket Scientist-Retired
"My Father always considered a walk in the mountains as the equivalent of church going."
Aldous Huxley

Thanks for the weather info. Im glad they have had plenty of rain. I will try to focus my efforts to some watering holes in the area I will be hunting. I really appreciate the updates in the upcomming weeks as well. Speaking of fishing, I might have to bring my fly rod with me...

Thanks for the weather info. Im glad they have had plenty of rain. I will try to focus my efforts to some watering holes in the area I will be hunting. I really appreciate the updates in the upcomming weeks as well. Speaking of fishing, I might have to bring my fly rod with me...

Fishing equipment is a must when heading out west IMO. I can't imagine an elk hunt without some mid-day fishing. Fresh grilled brook trout with natural sage and a tad of honey is an old favorite in our elk camp.

Just thought I'd let you know.....been cloudy all day, thunder & Lightning started about 3:30 pm and been raining like hell since then. Don't mean squat as it could not be raining at all in the mts, but sure are socked in!

Colorado Cowboy
Cowboy Action Shooter; Endowment Life Member-NRA
The Original Rocket Scientist-Retired
"My Father always considered a walk in the mountains as the equivalent of church going."
Aldous Huxley

I think maybe the first thing to discuss is the dates you've chosen. Opening day is August 30. The first week would be August 30 to September 5. That is likely too early. You will typically have minimal to no rut activity. You have probably picked the toughest dates to hunt.

In general this is a tough year to pick dates in Colorado for archery elk season. The muzzy season falls in the prime dates (Sept 13-21). The week before that would tend to be good dates, but you have a nearly full moon all week. If it was me and I could only hunt one week, I would likely look at archery hunting Sept 22-28. The downfall there being the area has had hunting pressure for a few weeks, but at least you are hunting a dark moon during rut dates.

Deer on the other hand, I would hunt as early as possible. Deer are far easier to pattern in the velvet before they go hard horned.

Ok now I'm feeling pretty good about my decision to bow hunt 25-30 Sep. If Umpqua says that's the best week then I'm on it.

Hard to say what the weather will be like when the season opens. But I would surely recommend you bring multiple sets of Frog Toggs. You might even need snowshoes. Heck we just don't know anymore. I've seen it snow 6-8 inches on July 4th at 10,000 ft. Yesterday (7-28) there was massive rain, hail and a couple of tornadoes. It's been raining all over the state; north, south, east and west. Flood warnings once or twice a week. Heavy rains, lightning and winds today (7-29). There was over 3500 lightning strikes in the state just today. But I never let weather or the full moon stop me from elk hunting. Like said, every year, no matter what the conditions, wind, rain, snow, moon, heat, overcrowded areas, elk fall to the ground for someone no matter what part of the season it is. Good luck on your hunt.

Thanks, I am looking forward to the PM MileHigh. I am getting my gear together and should be prepared in any situation. One question that I have is about elevation. The area that I will be hunting has a long north/south ridge line right at 10,000ft. My thoughts for hunting would be setup just below the top of this ridge line and glassing below. In respect to this ridge line, how much lower would you think the elk would be hanging out in early September?